Going to start playing tennis and need good shoes. Cheap or designer?

Basically I'm going to start playing tennis, I've got some basic Nike shirt/shorts but shoes I have not bought yet.

I'm not sure if I should go and pay for some big brand shoes or just go for the basic shoes. The latter would seem a no-brainer since I'm a beginner but considering i'm going to be running around a lot, have wide feet, want them to last etc, I thought I'd ask on here first. Don't wanna buy a cheap pair only to get destroyed after a couple of weeks on the court.

I want something that is quite comfortable (obviously) - any suggestions on specific shoes or brands that you guys use, on a reasonably budget?

You need dedicated court shoes with rubber (rather than gum) soles; this is key because a lot of indoor court shoes (for squash/racquetball) have gum on the soles and they'll last you not much longer than a week.

Other than that, it's all about fit, weight, comfort, etc. There are expensive shoes that won't last you more than a month, and there are dirt cheap shoes that are highly durable.

Asics makes some of the best all-around court shoes, and you'll rarely find negative comments about them. New Balance are popular as well, especially if you have wide feel. Babolat, Wilson and Nike are all hit-or-miss.

I tried the Nike Air Court MO's (similar to Nike City Courts), and they were good for what little I paid after the store discount (probably under $40 since they were on clearance). I also like the look of the Adidas Bercudas.

If your feet are very wide, you might want to try New Balance because they have 2E and 4E widths.

The cheaper models usually have simple insoles that provide little support. If you add orthotic insoles for around $20-30, they could feel a lot like more expensive shoes.

If you're a beginner, I'd go with the aforementioned Nike City Court VI in wide. Very comfortable and more importantly, cheap. They're currently $40 on TW. New Balance also has cheaper options for wide feet, besides its higher end shoes such as the 1004 and 1187.

Having only started playing 2 months ago, I bought a pair of Nike Court Ballistic 3.1. Got it at a pretty good discount, required a little break in as I found my right big toe jamming in the toebox but after a couple of weeks, it's loosened up nicely.

I normally play on hardcourts and artifical turf so good grip on both surface.

Very good shoe overall.

I wouldn't go to high end at this moment, I'd rather spend the money on coaching sessions.

Never think of saving money by using bad shoes!
Get yourself some high quality shoes, just look at discontinued models, check out the sale sections, but please never torture feet, joints, vertebrae with junk shoes.